Afternoon.
Huairou Film and Television City.
After making sure Jing Tian's driver had picked her up, Li Mu drove away with peace of mind.
Driving toward the film and television city, Li Mu's mind was racing, and his originally soft facial features turned cloudy and unpredictable.
There were so many pretty women out there; she didn't have to be the one.
She simply wasn't a girl he could afford to mess with. He didn't think he had enough personal charm to keep this little princess from throwing tantrums.
At least, not for now.
She wasn't your ordinary, innocent little flower; she was a thorny queen bee.
"Sigh, whatever. Let's just make some money first!" Shaking his head, Li Mu stepped on the gas and headed toward the film and television city.
The film and television city was located in the Huairou District of the Capital, just forty-five kilometers from downtown. Construction had begun in 2005, with a total investment exceeding two billion. It held enormous influence in the Capital and across northern China.
About seven or eight minutes later.
Li Mu arrived at the core town of the film base.
On the streets, actors in full makeup and costumes could be seen everywhere, cameras moving one after another, creating a bustling scene.
This wasn't like later generations, where micro-dramas and web series flooded the market.
Landing an acting gig back then was considered a stroke of immense luck.
While inspecting these people's outfits, Li Mu drove along and managed to squeeze his car into a tight parking spot.
With that done, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a sense of relief, took out his phone, and dialed the number his mother had given him: "Hello, Second Uncle? I've arrived at the film and television city. Could you please send someone to pick me up?"
"Send me your location, and I'll have someone come get you in a moment," a robust male voice replied from the other end of the line.
That must be the Second Uncle his mother always talked about.
Why *must* it be?
Because as long as he could remember, he had never met this Second Uncle. Going by seniority, his mother Jiang Xiaoguo and Second Uncle Jiang Xiaojun shared a grandfather, making their relation rather distant.
Li Mu looked around at his surroundings and carefully described his location to the man on the phone: "I'm under the plaque at the entrance of the film city. I'm wearing a blue jacket, black casual pants, and black sneakers."
"All right, I'll send someone to pick you up," the voice on the phone agreed solemnly, then warned, "You can come here, but don't go around blabbing about our relationship. If you can't manage that, don't blame me for being heartless."
"I know the rules." Li Mu immediately agreed with a smile.
...
A moment later, Li Mu, standing beneath the plaque, had his attention caught by a tentative voice: "Excuse me, are you Teacher Li Mu?"
Li Mu turned his head and saw a short, unkempt man with messy hair and a greasy black down jacket staring at him.
A pair of beady eyes flickered with a sneaky light.
*Damn, this couldn't be the guy Second Uncle sent, could it?*
True to form for a low-budget crew, they really let any misfit in.
Comparison was the thief of joy; standing next to this middle-aged man, Li Mu looked like Won Bin while the other guy looked like Song Xiaobao.
"Hello, I'm Li Mu." Li Mu politely reached out his hand to the man.
"Hello, my name is Wang Hao. The brothers around here call me Rat. Let's go." The middle-aged man was a natural social butterfly. After a brief self-introduction, he led Li Mu toward the crew's location, probing along the way, "Have you acted before, brother?"
"No, this is my first time acting."
"Who recommended you to our crew?"
"I submitted my resume online and passed the audition," Li Mu lied, keeping Second Uncle's warning in mind.
"Oh, are you from the Drama Academy?" Wang Hao asked again.
"The Film Academy," Li Mu replied, though inwardly he muttered, *What, does your director only like students from the Central Academy of Drama?*
"Oh!" Wang Hao let out a perfunctory "oh."
Li Mu could clearly sense his attitude cooling down quite a bit. Still, Li Mu didn't bother arguing with him—after all, who was he? Just a nameless nobody.
The two of them walked quickly and soon arrived in front of a building.
The building had four floors, and people could be seen moving around inside from time to time.
"Keep up," Wang Hao said, looking back impatiently at Li Mu who was lagging behind. "Hurry it up. I've got a ton of things to do. Do you really think you're some big shot?"
Li Mu, who had been looking around, frowned slightly.
The first time this guy saw him, thinking he had some powerful backing, he had smiled and tried to butter him up.
After just a few exchanges, the man's true colors showed. He truly lived up to his name.
Li Mu gave him a cold look and said nothing.
Sucking up to the powerful and stepping on the weak was a universal phenomenon in any industry.
However, what surprised Li Mu was that the crew's investment seemed quite substantial. Just from the look of this building and the exterior sets, it was clear this production was aiming high.
"I'm talking to you, didn't you hear me?" Seeing Li Mu didn't reply, Wang Hao grew annoyed at being ignored.
"Sorry, Rat, I just zoned out," Li Mu replied.
Wang Hao's face turned green. He almost wanted to snap back, *Is "Rat" what you call me?*
At that moment, a man slightly younger than Wang Hao emerged from the second-floor stairwell and asked, looking down at Wang Hao, "Rat, the person I told you to bring—did you bring him back?"
"Oh, Third Brother, why trouble yourself over such a small matter?" Wang Hao nodded and bowed, wearing a fawning expression.
The man addressed as "Third Brother" ignored him, turned his head, and locked his gaze straight onto Li Mu: "You're Li Mu?"
"Hello, Teacher, I'm Li Mu," Li Mu replied with a smile.
"Good, come with me. Director Jiang wants to see you." Third Brother nodded indifferently. Li Mu stepped forward, walked past Wang Hao, and walked up beside Third Brother with a smile.
Third Brother glanced at Li Mu, nodded, and led him toward the fourth floor.
Arriving at the fourth-floor corridor, Third Brother pointed to the room at the very end of the hallway and informed him, "Go on. The room on the far right, the one with 'Director's Office' written on it, that's Director Jiang's office."
"Thank you, Third Brother," Li Mu said, copying Wang Hao's form of address.
Third Brother gave a warm smile and earnestly reminded him, "Seeing as you look decent and seem to know how to handle yourself, I'll give you a few extra words.
Even though Director Jiang has a quirky temper, his moviemaking skills are top-notch. You better seize this chance well. Scoring even a minor supporting role will be enough for you to brag about for three to five years."
*Was it really that exaggerated?*
*A minor supporting role to brag about for three to five years?*
Li Mu was both shocked and amazed. Just what kind of sacred figure was his Second Uncle?
Third Brother patted Li Mu's shoulder with a smile and urged, "All right, stop standing around like a fool. Go on, make the most of this opportunity. Who knows, maybe one day I'll be relying on you to treat me to meals."
"Then I'll take Third Brother's good word for it." Li Mu cupped his hands in a salute with a smile and walked toward the end of the corridor.
Standing before the office door, Li Mu took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and gently knocked on the wooden door.
Knock, knock.
"Come in," a deep voice came from inside, and Li Mu pushed the door open and entered.
The setup inside was very simple: a set of reception sofas, a desk, a chair, and a tea set.
Under the dim light, Li Mu caught sight of a man with dark yellowish skin, a buzz cut, and a deep blue Western-style military uniform.
He was leaning over his desk with a notebook in front of him, holding a pen as if writing a diary.
"Second Uncle." Li Mu found this person somewhat familiar and cautiously walked forward.
Hearing the movement, the man slowly turned his face to the side.
The moment he saw the man's face, Li Mu's eyes widened, his jaw dropped, and he stared at the man before him in utter disbelief.
It was a man in his forties with well-defined features, a shiny forehead, and a pair of piercing, sharp eyes.
*Second Uncle was Jiang Wen?*
Li Mu was completely dizzy, his head buzzing.
*Jiang Xiaojun was Jiang Wen, and Jiang Wen was Jiang Xiaojun?!*